After Goodbye
by mrsroryhuntzberger
Summary: Rory Gilmore makes a call. Logan Huntzberger hears some news. Two people who thought they would never meet again are suddenly thrust together, but they aren't complaining. Post-"A Year in the Life". Spoilers. Initially published on AO3.
1. A Call

Hey guys! So I'm at it again. Another short Gilmore Girls story because the revival set me off. This one is focused on what happens after the last four words, specifically what happens with Rory and Logan. I wrote this all at once and suck at editing so apologies for any grammar mistakes.

Note: this was initially published on AO3 and I, sadly, do not own Gilmore Girls

* * *

 _"Mom."_

 _"Yeah?"_

 _"I'm pregnant."_

And just like that it was out. The truth was out in the open and as Rory Gilmore awaited her mom's reaction she was reminded how fucking terrified she was.

She was pregnant. And single. And jobless. And totally, completely unprepared.

Her mother was quiet, a soft yet unsure look on her face. "Are you sure?" She asked.

Rory knew that was coming. Hell she'd been asking that question for the past few days. Ever since she looked at her calendar and realized her period was late, realized she wasn't completely sure she and Logan used protection last time, realized something about her felt different, she'd been asking herself that same question. Was she sure?

"Right now I'm going off three positive pregnancy tests and a late period, but I scheduled a doctors appointment for next week to confirm." She took a deep breath. "But I feel…different. I'm pretty sure."

Her mom continued to give her this look. "And the father…"

Rory groaned. He was the last person she wanted to think about. "Three guesses," she mumbled, leaning down to hold her face in her hands.

"Oh honey," Her mother's arm wrapped around her and Lorelai held her close." It's going to be okay."

"I don't know what to do." Rory whispered, tears starting to form. "I mean I know what to do, like the steps I need to take, but I don't know what to do about him."

Lorelai gave her an understanding nod. "I get that. What are you worried about specifically?"

Rory sighed and sat up, still in her mother's embraced. "Everything. What is he going to do? What is he going to say? He's still engaged, you know? Logan." She took a deep breath. "He's still engaged and he has this other life. I don't even know if he would even care. Maybe I shouldn't tell him…" she trailed off, looking down.

Lorelai was quiet for a moment before speaking. "Rory you know that I will support you during this no matter what choice you make regarding Logan, but thinking about Luke and April. He didn't know about her until she was older and he wishes that he had a chance to raise her. Again, I will support you regardless but I think you should keep that in mind."

Rory nodded. "I will. Thank you Mom."

She called Logan after her doctor's appointment that next week, after confirming she was indeed pregnant.

She was sitting in the dining room at her grandparents' house; Emily was going to put off selling the house until Rory was finished with her book (Rory was incredibly grateful and Emily was touched by Rory using Richard's study as her writing niche). Rory was tense and could feel beads of sweat accumulating on her forehead. Taking a deep breath, she dialed the all too familiar number and waited.

He picked up after three rings. Rory held her breath.

"Hey Ace."

She let out a sigh. He used his nickname for her.

"Hey Huntzberger. What's up?"

"Not much, just leaving work." Rory could hear the click-clack of shoes and the chatter of coworkers in the background. "What about you?"

"Writing. My mom agreed to let me write the book." She bit her lip. How long could the small-talk go on?

"That's great, congratulations!" She could feel his radiant smile through the phone. She hated how much she loved that grin.

"Thanks."

They were quiet for a minute, awkwardness seeping in. Then Logan spoke.

"Rory," he hesitated. "Not to be rude or anything, but why did you call? I thought when we saw each other last that was it."

She took a deep breath. "I thought that too, but, um, something happened."

"Yeah…" he edged her to go on.

"So I'm calling to tell you two things." Rory took a deep breath. It was now or never. "First, I love you. Second, I'm pregnant."

Silence. Rory couldn't help but hold her breath.

It was another minute before Logan replied.

"Are you sure?" he asked, his voice shaky.

Rory nodded as she spoke, "Yeah. I was at the doctors earlier and they confirmed it."

"Okay." She could hear Logan taking a deep breath before speaking again, his voice more solid and less shaky. "Okay. Stay where you are."

"What?" she was surprised by his reaction. "Why do I have to stay in my grandparent's dining room?"

"I meant stay in Connecticut, and wait why are you in your grandparent's dining room? No, never mind. Listen, I should be there by tomorrow night so we can hash out and plan out all the details then."

"Wait be where by tomorrow night?" Rory has expected a range of reactions from Logan, but this was not one of them.

"Connecticut. Stars Hollow, I assure you're staying there." She said nothing and he took that as confirmation. "God has pregnancy gotten to your brain already?" he asked with a chuckle.

"What? No!"

He laughed. "Good. I need you sane, Ace."

She couldn't help but feel a small smile creeping onto her face. "Logan, what are you doing?"

"I thought it was obvious. I'm coming home."

Her heart skipped a beat. "So I'm home?"

"Nah, I'm coming for your mom. We have a Mrs. Robinson thing going on." He was laughing now and she could practically see him smirking at her. That stupid smirk. She missed it.

"Oh really now?" She decided it was best to play along. "Well I'm afraid she's married and Luke is probably pretty predatory so I wouldn't chance it."

"Wait she and Luke got married?" He dropped the joke at the news.

"Yeah last week. They eloped the night before the wedding."

He chuckled. "That sounds like your mom."

Rory grinned. "It does, doesn't it?"

They were quiet again, but this time it wasn't awkward or odd. It was a peaceful quiet, a content quiet.

"So I'll see you tomorrow?" Rory broke it, determined to get back on track to the reason behind the call.

"Definitely. I'll be the one with flowers and a very pissed off father."

"Wait what?"

He chuckled. "I'll explain then. I'll see you then, Ace."

"See you then, Huntzberger."

The call ended and Rory leaned against the wall, happy and excited.

Suddenly her phone rang. It was Logan.

"Hello?" she answered, confused as to why he was calling her back after hanging up only seconds earlier.

"I forgot to tell you something."

Her stomach twisted into a knot as she imagined every worst case scenario. He had been joking and was staying in London. Odette was also pregnant. He couldn't leave London. It had been his clone talking and didn't mean any of it.

"Love you too."

She let out the breath she was holding. "See you tomorrow."

The call ended and Rory was grinning.

Strolling into the other room she looked up at the portrait of her grandfather and smiled. "I think this is going to work, Grandpa. I really do."

With that being said, she grabbed her stuff, headed outside, and started the journey home. She had to get ready for Logan's arrival and she had to break the news to Luke.

She really hoped he didn't kill her baby-daddy.

/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

"Rory, sweetheart."

"No, go away." Rory whined as she buried her head in her pillow.

"Rory…" Her mom continued, shaking her softly. "You need to get up."

"Ugh," she rolled over and eyed her clock. "It's only five! Go away!" she pulled the covers up around her and snuggled in.

She could hear her mother's footsteps fade away and Rory assumed she gave up. Of course Rory wondered why her mother was trying to wake her at five on a Thursday morning, but that was a question for a later time. Like after lunch.

Rory had been up late planning for Logan's arrival and reading up on pregnancy online. The former made her anxious, the latter made her terrified. She missed Logan terribly but seeing him again, and seeing him under the circumstances was stressful. The stress made her more anxious and scared because she was 99% sure stress was bad for the baby, and once she started thinking about the baby –her baby! – she wanted to scream.

It wasn't that being a mother was a bad thing or something she didn't want; it just wasn't the plan. Getting pregnant when she was single and jobless was not part of the plan. She knew her mom and Luke would be there for her, and based on Logan's reaction she assumed he would have some role, but still. She was not only going to have a kid but she was also going to be raising said kid.

What if she screwed up? What is she was more like Emily and Mitchum than Lorelai and Luke? What if the kid is a rebel and doesn't listen? What if the kid hates her? What if she accidentally kills the kid? It was those questions that kept her up until midnight.

But now it was five in the morning and Rory could hear footsteps coming closer to her room. She groaned and scooched down even further in the covers. She heard the door open. She curled up into a ball. She was not getting up. Then someone started to lightly shake her.

"Wake up Ace."

She froze. That was not her mom.

She pawed at the covers and after a moment was able to poke her head out to confirm her suspicions. It was Logan.

"You're not my mother," Rory mumbled as she slowly sat up.

Logan laughed at her. "No but I've been told we dress the same."

Rory stared at him. "What?"

He shook his head, "I was trying to make a joke Ace."

She frowned. "It's too early for jokes." She yawned. "What are you doing here?"

Now it was his turn to frown. "I'm here because you called me and told me you loved me and are pregnant. I didn't dream that up, right?"

She shook her head. "No I mean, why are you here now? It's five in the morning."

He chuckled and sat down on the end of her bed. "I took a red-eye flight. I recalled you taking a few to and from London." He arched a brow at her and grinned. "Plus I wanted to see you as soon as possible."

Rory couldn't help but smile at him. He was here. He was really here.

She took a deep breath. "It's good to see you."

He grinned at her. "It's good to see you too."


	2. I Missed You

Thank you guys for all the positive feedback! Here is chapter 2!

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Twenty minutes later they were sitting on the front porch and Rory was pissed.

"I hate you so much right now." She glared at the blonde beau.

He chuckled. "I'm sorry, Ace, I really understand, but I'm desperate."

"I am too!" she snapped, continuing to glare at him.

"Look I only got a few hours of sleep in on the plane. I need it," he said, gesturing to his coffee.

"I only got a few hours of sleep too." She rolled her eyes. "I still can't believe you're drinking coffee out here in front of me."

"I said I was sorry."

"No you're not," she mumbled and sighed. "I just miss it so much."

"I know you do, Ace."

"I swear I can hear it calling my name in the middle of the night. Rory, Rory, come drink us, come drink us up," she added in a high-pitched, sing-songy voice.

He chuckled at her "I can put it away if you want me to."

She shook her head. "It's too late. The deed is done." She dramatically threw her hands up and leaned back on the porch.

She laid back on the porch for a minute or two before sitting up. Logan was looking at her with joy in his light chocolate eyes, grinning from ear-to-ear.

"What?" she asked, sitting up.

"Nothing, I just…" he trailed off. "I missed you."

She grinned. "I missed you too."

He met her eyes and smiled, before leaning back on his hands and looking ahead. "So… you're pregnant."

Ah yes, that. The reason he was here.

She sighed. "Yup."

He shook his head. "We were careful."

"We were also drunk," she added.

He nodded. "That too."

She sighed. "We need to talk about it…"

"Definitely." He nodded in agreement.

"…But right now I have some questions for you."

"Me?" Logan gasped, faking shock. "Why me?"

"Because you dropped everything to fly here and I know you." She arched a brow at him and leaned forward. "You did something. You did somethings."

He held his hands up and smirked. "Guilty as charged." His smirk dropped and he leaned back again. "I did a few things. All drastic, but all things that I needed to do and that I should've done a while ago. First, I called it off with Odette."

Rory gasped and covered her face in her hands. "Logan you didn't have to –"

"No I did," he said, interrupting her. "I did and honestly she's fine with it. Hell I haven't seen her that happy in a while." Rory gave him a puzzled look and he sighed. "I never fully explained our relationship. It wasn't out of love. We met at a party her parents threw and hit it off. It was supposed to be a one-time thing, but then our parents found out and took over.

Both of our parents made it clear that ending this relationship would not end well for anyone. Odette's parents were subtler, with metaphors and examples, but got it through her that if she didn't stay with me she would lose out on her inheritance. My father explained it to me and well," he paused for a moment and gave her a knowing look. "You know my father. He was anything but subtle, but drove the same point except instead of 'inheritance" it was "anything and everything related to the Huntzberger family'."

Rory was quiet. It was true, she had no idea what Logan and Odette's relationship was all about. It was like her relationship with Paul. Forgotten, lost in the background, and easily overshadowed. It wasn't right, but that was how it had been.

Logan looked at her, unsure if he should continue. She gave him a small nod and he started up again.

"After I got your call, I went back and ended it with her. She was thrilled. It turns out she's dating someone else in Paris."

"Did you know about him?" Rory asked, concerned.

He nodded. "Not outwardly. Like I said, our relationship wasn't based on love or anything like that so being with other people has always been acceptable. We just didn't talk about it."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "No real reason. Just a curtsey, I guess."

"Wait, so you both have affairs and know you are both having affairs, but chose not to discuss it out of politeness?" She shook her head. "Wow."

He gave her a pointed look. "Very judgmental coming from the woman involved in said 'affairs'." There was a familiar joking tone underneath his words, and a familiar smirk on his lips.

Rory rolled her eyes. "Touché. Continue."

"So as I was saying, she was dating someone else and was thrilled when I ended it because it meant that A) she didn't violate the 'agreement' –and I use that term loosely – and was not risking her inheritance; and B) she got to play the 'victim card'. She plans to use said 'card' to convince her parents to approve her marriage to her boyfriend."

"Clever girl," Rory commented, wrapping the blanket around her.

"Are you cold, Ace? We can go inside." Logan offered.

Rory shook her head. "I'm good. The blanket is just some additional warmth. Usually coffee serves that role, but unfortunately for me…" she trialed off, muttering swear words under her breath. She sighed and straightened up. "Ignore me. Continue."

"Ignore you? Never!" He grinned at her and she rolled his eyes. "Anyway, so everything was fine with Odette. Actually, it's working out in our favor because she isn't breaking the news to her parents until Saturday so I have a few days to prepare for angry calls from wealthy Frenchmen."

Rory chuckled. "If you need some help I can get Michel to go off on you. I don't think he's wealthy, but I'm pretty sure he can emulate it if needed."

Logan laughed. "I'm good, but thanks. I'll just use my charm and classic good looks on them. I'm sure that'll do the trick."

"Totally," Rory rolled her eyes.

They were quiet for a few minutes, just sitting there listening to the sounds indicating the start of another day.

Rory still couldn't believe it. She still couldn't believe he was here sitting next to her, drinking coffee and talking like everything was normal. Like how they used to be.

He was always one for surprises, sudden arrivals. Randomly showing up outside her apartment after class or, after he graduated, flying in from London. Most of the time his surprise arrivals left her heart swelling and full of joy, but there had been a few times where they'd fought or the arrival didn't go well when she just felt sick afterwards.

She peered at the man sitting next to her. Logan and her relationship with him were always complicated. They had this chemistry, this bond that made being with him in the moment feel so right, and she loved it, but it also made things hard. It made it easy to fall into old habit, old bad habits. They'd done that in London with their whole "what happens in Vegas" affair. It wasn't right, but she didn't regret it. God she wished she regretted it.

That was one thing she didn't like about their complicated relationship: She made choices involving him that in any other relationship she would regret. She felt like she should've regretted stealing that boat with him, regretted taking him back those few times, regretted letting herself get so dependent on him, regretted saying no. She made choices that were good and bad when she was with him, but she regretted none of them

Her mother never liked him, never liked them together. She thought he was changing her. Her mother was right to a degree. She did change when she was with Logan, but to Rory it felt more like growing up, more like fitting into to the big adult shoes she was in. Wasn't that the point of growing up? To change? For both the better and the worse?

It'd been awhile since she thought about him and their relationship to this extent. She generally didn't like dwelling on memories, they made her sad. She really missed him. She hadn't had a long-lasting relationship since they broke up (unless you count Paul, but no one's counting Paul), and she knew only part of it was because of her career.

Things between them didn't feel finished. They didn't break up because one of them didn't love the other anymore (re: her various breakups with Dean), and they didn't break up because the conditions were wrong and maybe they could've loved each other (re: Jess). They broke up because they loved each other, but life was cruel and ultimatums are hell, but just like Mondays they always come around eventually. She always felt like they never got closure, so when she ran into him in London and they started talking again, it just felt right. So what if he had a girlfriend who later became his fiancé? He was hers first.

The thing is history likes to repeat itself and she really should've learned from her time with Dean that just because you dated someone first, doesn't mean you get to have them later on in life. That reminder slowly came back to her, so when they sat there in that tango club and she had the chance to ask him to leave Odette, the chance to claim him again, she didn't do anything. Sure she had him first, but Odette had them now and that was all that mattered.

She knew that but she still slept with him, and that's how they ended up where they were now: sitting on the steps of the porch of her mother's house, anxious about what the future held.

Rory really wasn't as good of a learner as everyone else thought.

"Ace? Ace?"

Logan's voice drags her back to the present and out of the past. She blinks a few times. "Don't worry I'm back. Sorry."

"You looked pretty lost in thought there, Ace. Everything okay?"

Ah yes, that question. Everything okay?

She wants to say "no". She wants to say "no, everything is not okay. I'm pregnant with your kid and you just flew here and left your fiancée and I'm getting a lot of mixed messages and I want to ask so many questions but we keep going off on tangents because of course we do! Of course we do!"

Instead she looks him in the eye and reminds her conversation with her father all those years ago.

 _"You know; it never would've crossed my mind to do something like that. Just walk up and kiss someone, 'cause you wanted to. But Lorelai – she always knew what she wanted. And she'd go out and get it."_

So Rory gave him a sly smile, said "I will be in a minute," and leaned in.


	3. You Jump, I Jump?

Thank you guys again for all the positive feedback! I was checking story stats the other day and this story has almost 5k views! I've never had a story get that many views, especially in such a short amount of time! Thank you guys so much!

* * *

There are many things Rory Gilmore is thankful for. Most of them involve her mother, her grandparents, Stars Hollow, and Luke. However, at this moment she was incredibly thankful that Logan was not a thick man and that he could pick up on hints, especially when the hint involved her lips leaning towards his.

He grinned at her, their noses lightly touching. "I'm always happy to help." And he leaned in.

She felt his lips on her and suddenly all the weeks of her missing him, of him missing her, seemed to emerge. One of his hands ran through her hair, the other went around her waist and pulled her close. Her hands wrapped around his neck, pulling him to her, and all should could think about was how right it felt. How perfect and right it felt. How perfect and right it always felt. Her lips opened, deepening the kiss, and she didn't want to stop. She wanted to sit there, her lips on his, forever.

The two were so caught up in each other they didn't hear the front door open and close, they didn't hear Lorelai step towards them, and they almost didn't hear her tell them breakfast was ready.

But they did hear her. They froze, their lips slowly parting. Logan looked horrified. Rory looked shocked.

"Um. Okay, Mom." Rory answered, her heart pounding in her chest. "Thanks."

"Yes, thank you." Logan echoed, his chocolate eyes wide in fear.

"Just come in when you're ready." Lorelai let them know before stepping back inside.

They were silent as the door behind them closed. Neither moved from their current position out of both sheer shock and embarrassment. After another minute, Rory couldn't help but let a few small giggles out.

"Why are you laughing, Ace?" Logan asked, horrified.

She pulled away from him, now full-on laughing, and tried to cover her face to suppress her laughter. "Because I feel like I'm 15 again. I haven't felt like I was 15 in a long time! Plus, your face."

His eyes widened. "My face? What makes it so funny?"

"You look terrified."

He shook his head. "I am. She scared the crap out of me."

Rory laughed. Logan scowled. It was just like the old days.

Except she was pregnant, he used to be engaged, she was jobless, he was probably jobless (she wasn't sure, she'd have to ask), and they were both in their early 30s.

But besides that it was just like the old days.

Breakfast was awkward, but Rory should've known it would be.

Small talk was initially attempted, but that only lasted for a few minutes before Logan's ex-fiancée was mentioned and they all got quiet. Then they sat there in silence for a good five minutes. It was awful.

Rory felt bad for Logan, who spent most of the meal trying to ignore the death stare Luke was giving him and trying not to squirm under Lorelai's "there a 50% chance I might kill you but until then"-grimace. She was honestly a bit concerned he might bolt out of fear before they had a chance to finish talking. She had to act, now.

Taking a deep breath, Rory suddenly stood up. "Mom, Luke," she addressed. "We, Logan and I, are going off. Thank you for breakfast. Um," she paused for a second before reaching out to grab Logan's arm. "We'll be back."

She practically dragged him out of the house, leaving Luke and Lorelai staring in shock at the empty space she previously occupied. Logan, whom she had a death gripped on, just watched her as she shoved him out the door.

She enjoyed having him here, bantering with him, kissing him, but she didn't call him to banter and kiss, she called him to talk. A straight-forward, adult talk.

The pair now stood in front of the door. He was staring at her, trying to get into her mind, trying to figure out what she was thinking. Rory turned her head and looked out on the driveway.

"Is that your car?" she asked, referring to the grey Prius behind her mother's jeep.

He nodded. She grabbed his arm again. "Let's go."

"Go where?"

She sighed. "I don't know. Somewhere. Somewhere away from Mom and Luke and Stars Hollow, somewhere we can talk. We need to talk."

He nodded and he let her drag him towards the car.

20 minutes later they were sitting on a bench at a park in Hartford. Rory still in her PJs and Logan in a wrinkled suit with a stain on the tie. They were quite the pair.

He sighed. "Okay Rory, let's talk."

She nodded and, taking a deep breath, turned towards him. "I am pregnant with your kid. I am going to have this baby and I am going to raise him or her, regardless of what happens here today. I need to know what role you want to have in this kid's life, in my life."

He was quiet, contemplating what he was going to say. Rory hated how terrified of his answer. She told herself that she could raise this kid on her own and she could, but she knew deep down she wanted to be doing this with him. She wanted to be raise their child with him. But did he want that?

He learned back and sighed. "I'll be honest, Ace: I have no idea how to be a father. It's something I've thought about, sure, but it never seemed like something that would be happening anytime soon, if ever."

Rory nodded. He was in shock and, to be fair, she was still in shock too. Every time she started to think about being a mother she felt panic and fear and anxiety bubbling up in her stomach. It was terrifying.

"The thing is though, "Logan continued, taking a deep breath. "I want to do it. I want to be involved in our child's life, in every way possible. And, if you'll let me, in your life too."

Rory was quiet. "It won't be easy. None of this will be easy."

"I know, but I still want to be a part of it."

Rory looked down and played with the strings on her PJ pants. She thought for a moment, then looked up at him.

"I want you to be that involved, I really do, but I don't want you to be like my dad. He wasn't involved in my life that much, but whenever he was it felt like he was doing it for my mom and not me. For part of my life, especially when I was younger, it felt like he did what he did to get on Lorelai's good side. It felt like his relationship with my mom came first and I was just there to help push it forward. To help him get laid." She let out a bitter laugh. "It actually worked a couple of times which makes it even worse." She pauses before continuing. "I don't want that for our kid. I don't want him or her to be a pawn in this game between us. I hate that I feel this way but I do."

Logan's quiet. "I'm not your dad," he finally says.

"I know, it's just…I don't know. I guess I just want you to know this. Whether or not you would actually do something like," she shrugs. "That doesn't matter. I mean, it kind of does, but it also doesn't."

"I want to be involved in your life, I said I wanted to be involved in your life. I don't mean part-time either, Ace. I really missed you, and I really missed what we had. I want to be our child's father and I want to be your boyfriend again. I want to be in this with you 100%. I want to go to the doctors' appointments with you, and go shopping for baby clothes and baby furniture with you, and just do everything that we need to do before the baby's born and after. I want to be with you and our child. I want to raise him or her, and I want to live with you, and I want to have a family with you. Please, Ace. Please let me be involved. Please."

She was silent. She looked back down and tried to blink away the stray tears that were starting to form. Was she dreaming? Was any of this actually happening?

The scariest thing about all of it was that she could see it so clearly. She could see the two of them setting up the nursery. She could see them watching her (because they were having a daughter, no doubt about it) take her first steps. She could see them all sitting together eating dinner, trying to get their daughter to stop throwing food on the ground. She could see them visiting Lorelai and Luke on the weekends, trying to stop their daughter from pulling on Paul Anka's tail. She could see them tearing up and trying not to cry as they send her to preschool for the very first time. She could see everything.

She sniffed. "You really want to?"

He nodded and scooted close to her. "I really do."

A few tears started to trickle down her cheeks, but she was smiling. "Okay. Let's do this. You jump, I jump."

He grinned and suddenly his lips were on hers, his hands wrapped around her, kissing her deeply. She felt herself grin as she returned the kiss, one hand in his hair and the other leaning up against his cheek.

They were going to do this. They were going to be parents. They were going to jump.


	4. Wookies and Vegas

Thank you guys again for the continued feedback and support! It means a lot to me! I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter, it's a bit longer due to combining two shorter chapters (this was originally posted on AO3). Also, this chapter explains more of how Rory and Logan ended up in their 'Vegas' arrangement. I'm not sure what the official timeline between the two is in the revival (i know Hamburg was mentioned but I forgot about it tbh so it's not included) but this one is a bit shorter. Also, some of the explanation is based off a one-shot I wrote shortly after the revival came out called "I do, Ace.". You don't have to read it to understand what happens, but it's there if you want to.

Let me know what you think!

* * *

There were many things Rory Gilmore needed at this point in time, but the thing she needed the most was peace. She needed peace.

For the past few months, hell the past year, she felt like she had been in an almost constant state of stress. Stress and anxiety and never-ending doubt and panic.

The past year had been a hard one for everyone, herself included. After her grandfather had died, she seemed to lose herself. She started jumping from job to job, growing more choosey on which articles she took, and behaving in impulsive actions when it came to her love life, or more accurately, her sex life.

She started up an affair with Logan based on sex rather than emotions (okay, so it wasn't completely without emotions) when he was engaged and she was in a relationship. She slept with a Wookie, a person she had been interviewing for an article, while she was sleeping with Logan and dating Paul (it was Paul, right?). Talk about a violate of both her personal morals and journalistic ethics.

Her career felt like, for the most part, it was going nowhere. She wasn't passionate about anything anymore; she didn't really care that much. She went into this field because she wanted to travel, see the world, be a part of something bigger than her. Now the only reason she wrote was to pay for rent and food. It took her months to find something she was passionate about (re: her book), but there wasn't even any guarantee it was going to work out.

She was a mess.

Then she found out she was pregnant.

After the test came back positive, she locked herself in the bathroom for about an hour and cried.

Everything that had happened in the past year seemed to come crashing down on her. She was supposed to be a planner, a responsible woman who didn't fucking forget condoms when sleeping with her engaged ex-boyfriend!

When she was finally calm enough to leave the bathroom, she made it back to her room only to open a drawer and find her old Chilton uniform.

She wondered what her 16-year-old self would have thought of her.

She then proceeded to lock herself in the bathroom for another hour.

Then two days later she told her mom. Then a week after that she called Logan.

Then he showed up, they talked, they made-out, they drove, they talked more, and now they found themselves laying on a bench in the middle of a park in Hartford.

She way laying on his chest, her head buried in and her arms wrapped around his neck. His arms were wrapped around her waist, his lips barely touching her forehead, his nose breathing in the scent of her fruity shampoo. They were at peace and content.

There were still a lot of questions up in the air, a lot of issues they still had to resolve, but for now they were happy.

It couldn't last forever and roughly an hour after arriving the pair sat up and began to plan their day.

Logan was currently functioning on a couple hours of sleep and had almost fallen asleep on the bench. Concerned about his wellbeing, Rory insisted he take a nap as soon as they got back to her house. However, Logan knew Lorelai and Luke weren't completely comfortable with him being there, so he insisted he stay at a hotel for the time being. Rory wouldn't accept that, but he didn't want to intrude so after a brief argument they came to a conclusion: Logan would stay at the Dragonfly Inn for the time being, allowing him to be close to Rory while also giving her and her family some space.

Rory called her mom to run it by her, and while Lorelai wasn't thrilled with the idea she wasn't against it. She had Michel save the best room for Logan, but not before insisting she and Rory get lunch later that day. Of course, by lunch she meant 'talk about what the hell is happening'. Rory accepted, knowing she didn't really have much of a choice.

As they drove back to Stars Hollow, they decided that after Logan got some much needed sleep, they two would meet up at Luke's and start working on Plan Baby.

"You're also going to tell me more about what's happened since I called you," Rory insisted as she leaned back against the passenger's seat.

Logan sighed. "Of course."

"Is it bad?" Rory was concerned that she was the cause for another rift between Logan and his father.

He chuckled bitterly. "Come on, Ace. I thought by now you would know that when it comes to my father it isn't anything but bad."

She nodded and sighed. "That's true."

He picked up on her worry, and put a hand on her upper thigh. "It's not really that bad. It was surprisingly civil."

She arched a brow. "Really?"

He shrugged. "In this situation we're going by my definition not yours."

"What's wrong with mine?" She asked, letting out a stray laugh.

"Nothing it's just your definition doesn't include slight voice-raising and instead includes two fast-talking women high on coffee."

"And here I was thinking everyone in business was high on coffee."

"Nah, you and your mom have them beat any day."

She chuckled and caught him looking at her. "Focus on the road, Huntzberger!"

"Yes ma'am!"

They drove in comfortable silence for a few miles before Rory groaned.

"God I miss coffee."

/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

Logan dropped her off at her home, kissed her on the cheek, and promised her that yes he would sleep, before heading to the Dragonfly Inn.

Rory watched him drive away and let out a yawn of her own. She had been so focused on Logan's exhaustion she'd forgotten about her own. She yawned again and heading towards the door, deciding she would take a nap before her mom came to meet her for lunch. However, when the door opened she knew the plans had changed.

"Mom what are you doing home?" She asked when she was greeted with her mother's wide grin.

"I live here, silly." She responded, moving to let Rory in.

Rory rolled her eyes. "I mean why are you home now? I thought you were working."

Lorelai shrugged. "I thought I would take the morning off, you know, just in case…" she trailed off and Rory got the hint.

She wanted to talk.

Rory took a deep breath. She owed her mother that much.

"You wanna talk?" she asked.

Her mother's face lit up. "I thought you'd never ask."

They made their way towards the couch, each seated on opposite ends. Logan had always been a divisive topic for them, one that led them to questioning each other's decision making skills and respective sanity.

It was awkward. They needed to talk, but where do you even start?

Apparently with small talk. Her mom cleared her throat. "So how's Logan?"

"He's okay. Busy. Work keeps him pretty busy."

"That makes sense."

They are quiet again, unsure of what to say and how to say it.

Rory takes a deep breath and decides to face the music. "I'm sorry we just up and left. It was rude to Luke."

"Please kid, I've done ruder."

Rory chuckles. "I can't deny that." She grows quiet again before speaking. "He wants to be a part of my life, of my – Sorry, our – kid's life."

Lorelai took that in silence and waited for Rory to continue.

"He and Odette broke up. I don't think his family knows yet. I don't know what is going to happen when they find out, but I don't think it will be good."

Lorelai nodded. "His family is pretty crazy. Shira makes Mom seem like a saint. What about Odette? Is she going to go after you?"

Rory scoffed. "No, apparently their relationship was because of business and she actually has someone else she'd going to try and marry."

"Ah, that makes sense."

"I guess." Rory shrugged.

"So what are you guys going to do?"

"Figure everything out. We are going to meet at Luke's later to start planning. We'll probably have to find a place to live first."

"Probably. So wait, you're gonna live together?" Lorelai seemed a little alarmed at the news.

"Yeah, I mean why not?"

Lorelai shrugged. "I don't know; it just seems like you're jumping into this pretty fast."

Rory shook her head. "There's a baby, we have to get everything together soon. Plus, we have kind of been living together for the past year." At her mother's perplexed look she explained. "London? I sometimes stayed with him for up to a couple of weeks."

"Oh yeah, London."

They were quiet again.

"How did that even happen?" Lorelai finally asked.

"How did what happen?"

"London. You're whole "what happens in Vegas" arrangement?"

Rory took a deep breath. It was about time she properly explain everything.

"It's kind of a long story."

"It's only 7:30. We have time, kid."

"Okay. Well it started in London about a year-and-a-half ago. We ran into each other at a coffee shop. Actually it's more like I ran into him."

"Did you spill coffee on him?"

"…It was iced, okay? Anyway, he was cool. We went back to his apartment-

"Oh!" her mom cut her off, covering her ears and burying her face in her lap. "I don't need to hear all the details!"

"Mom!" Rory gasped and slapped her arm. "Nothing happened!"

Lorelai hesitantly looked up "Really?"

"Yes, really. He changed his pants and we talked. It'd been eight years so we talked a bit."

"How did that go?"

"It was great but…" Rory trails off and sighs, running a hand through her hair as she leans back. "It's hard to see someone you were close to years ago and not revert back."

"I don't get it."

"It was going great. We were talking, catching up on each other's lives, sharing stories, but then things seemed to shift back to the past. We started talking about this one time where Finn tried to ask Paris out and the craziness that occurred afterwards, and we just started sharing memories of when we were in college and together. That's great until we remembered – or at least I remembered I don't know what he was thinking, I'm not a mind reader – that we aren't in college anymore and we aren't together and haven't been together in over eight years. Then it got awkward."

"So what happened then?" her mother asked, encouraging her to keep talking.

"I made up a business meeting and he gave me his business card. I promised I would call and then we went our separate ways."

"But you did call him. That's how you got together again, right?"

Rory looked down at her shoes, her hands wringing together in her lap. "Yes."

"When?"

She didn't speak. Rory didn't know how to say it, didn't know how to bring it up without crying (damn those pregnancy hormones).

"Rory?"

She took a deep breath and swallowed a sob. "The day grandpa died."

Lorelai is quiet.

"You remembered when I locked myself in the bathroom?" Rory asked, referring to the 20 minutes where she barricaded herself in the bathroom about an hour after Richard died. She eventually made her way back to them, but not without having security guards watch her closely for the rest of the time. "When I told you I called Lane? I didn't call Lane."

"You called Logan." It's not a question, rather a statement spoken in a soft voice.

Rory nods. "It's awful, but all I could think about was how he was there the last time," she admitted, referring to when he grandpa had a heart attack during one of his lectures, "and how it ended so much better. How he left the hospital, and how helpful Logan was, and how you had Luke to comfort you, but I didn't have anyone. So I called him."

"How'd that go?"

"He thought I was drunk."

"What?"

"I was rambling and talking fast, so he thought I was drunk." Rory sighs, reflecting on the memory. "He was good. He was concerned. He almost bought plane tickets to come visit."

"Why didn't he?" Lorelai asks, a hint of surprise in her voice.

"I told him if he did I would never call him again and I would never forgive him."

Lorelai nods. "That's a good enough threat as any."

"Yeah, and obviously it worked. He didn't show up. I texted him later letting him know I'd be in London the month later and to see if he wanted to meet up."

"And I take it you did?"

She nodded. "We met up for drinks. We didn't drink a lot, but still. Then we went back to his apartment to visit some more."

Lorelai makes a face. "And did you…?"

"Yes." Rory replies curtly.

"Oh."

They are quiet again, unsure how to proceed. Rory knows her mom knew, after all she told her and she's pregnant, but it's still awkward. No matter how close you are to your mom, talking about or even referencing sex is awkward.

"Um," Rory clears her throat, moving the conversation forward. "The next morning we talked about what would happen next, where we would go, what we were, that type of stuff."

"Is this when the Vegas idea came up?" Lorelai asked, obvious disdain in her voice.

Rory felt her cheeks flush. She loved her mom, but she could be so judgy. Like, Emily Gilmore-level judgy. She knew her mom would hate that comparison, but it was true. It was part of the reason she didn't tell her about Logan right away, that and the fact that Rory knew what she was doing was wrong but didn't want the lecture.

"Yeah that's when." Rory looks back down at her lap, ready for her mother's comments.

Lorelai shakes her head. "God Rory, why would you let him reduce you to be his side-chick."

Rory looks up, surprised at her mother's reaction. "What do you mean?"

"I mean why did you let him make you his side-girl? Why didn't you tell him it was go big or go home?"

Rory shakes her head and says matter-of-factly, "It wasn't his idea, it was mine."

"Rory!" her mother gasps, staring at her.

"Well it was! He told me about Odette that morning, and explained that even though he was engaged it wasn't out of love, rather it was because of business. He said if I wanted to make it a one-night thing we could, but also if I wanted something serious he was up for it."

"Did you?"

Rory shrugged. "I didn't want to mess his life up. He worked so hard to get where he is and he seemed happy, I just didn't want to mess it up."

"You're not answering the question; I should know I'm an expert at tip-toeing around questions." Her mother remarked, crossing her arms. "Speak."

"Okay fine. I did want something serious, but again I didn't want to mess his life up. I knew he would drop everything if I said I wanted to be with him like that, just look at what he's done in the past 24 hours! Less than 24 hours, actually! I told him I loved him and I was pregnant –"

"Wait, you told him you loved him?"

"– and he dropped everything and came running! I didn't want him to do that again, not after I ended it."

"Rory…"

"I know it's not the same, and I honestly I don't regret saying no, but still. He didn't owe me anything, and I didn't want him to feel like he did."

"So you suggested Vegas."

"I suggested Vegas," Rory confirmed, leaning back against the couch. "It was going well, too, until Odette moved in."

"The whole 'I'm pregnant' wouldn't have helped either."

Rory solemnly nods. "Yeah, that too."

They are quiet for a few minutes, both taking everything in.

It's Lorelai who breaks the silence. "Is there anything else?"

"Anything else?" Rory asked, raising an eyebrow.

Lorelai shrugs. "Like anything else important to tell Mommy."

Rory rolls her eyes. "I don't think so, Mommy. Logan and I are going to do this together and hopefully it'll all work out okay."

"Hopefully?"

"I don't want to jinx it."

Lorelai nods solemnly. "Ah yes, the importance of not jinxing the future. Got it." With that she gets up and heads towards the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" Rory calls after her.

"I'm getting coffee; you want some?"

"MOM!" Rory dramatically flails herself on the couch, burying her face in a pillow.

"Sorry!"

"No you're not!" she mumbles. She can hear her mother laughing in the other room.

It was going to be a long nine months.

/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

Lorelai was called back to work shortly later (something involving Kirk, the kitchen, and 50 pounds of strawberry sauce) and Rory spends the next few hours trying to work on her book, trying being the operative word. She couldn't focus on it and instead found herself looking up apartments in Hartford and New York City

She wasn't sure where they would end up living. It would depend on Logan's job more than anything, but the one place she wasn't planning on living at was Stars Hollow.

She hated that she felt that way. She loved the town with all her heart, but she couldn't help how she felt. She had gotten used to cities, always alive and busy with 24/7 mini-markets that were actually opened 24/7. She loved how there was always something interesting and new going wherever you were. She loved how productive she felt sitting in a coffee shop in New York City, the loud pitter-patter of the people hurrying to work or home or wherever they were headed felt like a song to her. She loved being in one place while also feeling like she was everywhere because there were so many people of so many backgrounds. It was beautiful, but it also made her heart sink at the prospective of living in tiny Stars Hollow for another 18 years.

But then again, there was a kid to consider.

Sure you could raise a kid in a city, many people had, but would it be better to live in Stars Hollow or another small town? Someplace stable where you knew your neighbors and could safely let them walk to school without worrying about them getting kidnapped or mugged or lost or accidentally part of some celebrity's music video.

She wasn't quite sure what the best answer was, if there was even a best answer.

Then there was Logan and what he wanted. She needed to figure out what he wanted so she could factor that in. What did he want…

Rory sighed and closed her laptop. She needed a break from…everything. It had been a long day and she was running on maybe five hours of sleep, more likely four, without any coffee.

She found her keys and purse, and headed out.

She soon found herself at the Dragonfly Inn telling Michel she stopped by to see if everything was okay with Kirk and to make sure no one was seriously hurt. Of course she knew that was a lie. Michel didn't and quite frankly wouldn't have cared otherwise.

Rory was starting to regret visiting as Michel started off into his 10th rant about why Paris is so much better than London when she heard her name. Turning around she frowned.

"You're supposed to be sleeping!"

Logan laughed and held his hands up. "I did sleep, I swear!"

Rory rolled her eyes. "Yeah right."

He shook his head, grinning. "You're not going to believe me no matter what, right?"

She nodded. "Yup."

"I'm glad we got that out of the way."

She couldn't help but smile at him before quickly cursing at herself. She wasn't 20, she shouldn't be this helpless to his charming grin. Damn it, Rory! Get it together!

"What are you doing here anyway, Ace?" He asked, reaching out for her hand. "I thought we were meeting at Luke's?"

She shrugged and took his hand. "I know. I was just stopping by."

"Oh really?" he was smirking at her now, a smug look on his face

"Yes. After hearing about Kirk's accident with the strawberry sauce I just had to make sure he was okay!" She stuck her tongue out at him.

He laughed. "So that explains the screams and death threats I heard earlier. Good to know."

"Anytime, Huntzberger."

He continued to grin at her and she felt her cheeks flush. Why was this happening?

"So," she cleared her throat, looking down at the floor. "You wanna grab some food?"

"Luke's?"

"Where else?"

He nodded. "Sounds great."

She nodded and started for the door, ready to drag him with her if she had to, but he stopped her.

"What is it –" she started to ask before feeling his lips on hers. She relished in his kiss, short and sweet, before they broke apart.

"Thank God," she heard Michel mumbling in the background but like normal she didn't care.

"Come on, let's go." Logan said, starting for the door. He paused and turned towards Rory. "You okay?"

She nodded and grinned. "Never better."


	5. Impulse

Yes, yes I'm very late with this update I'm sorry. I was going to get this out before Christmas but I got really sick and then afterwards I had a hard time getting the motivation to write, to be honest. After sitting in my drafts for weeks, this chapter is finally finished. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

When Rory Gilmore was 18 there was a brief time during the spring of her senior year where every evening she and her mother would spend two hours at Luke's Diner, sheets and guides spread out all over the table they'd captured, methodically going over the various pros and cons of Harvard, Princeton and Yale.

Everyone in Stars Hollow told her to forget the pro-con lists and just go with Harvard; the university she grew up obsessed with, the university that seemed like the obvious choice. Except she didn't. Rory didn't go with the obvious, predictable, cliché choice, Harvard, and instead took the arguably riskier option, Yale. Everyone was thrilled for her; after all, to the townspeople of Stars Hollow an Ivy-League was an Ivy-League school regardless of whether it was Harvard or Yale as long as it made Rory happy, but still Rory knew her choice surprised people. It was the first time in her life she chose the unexpected, but it certainly wasn't the last.

It was when she started Yale that the amount of surprising, unexpected choices she made began to increase, not only in the quantity of choices made but also in the degree of risks each of these choices had. Some risks were small, like continuing to room with Paris despite her being Paris, but others were bigger, like her choosing to sleep with her married ex-boyfriend and later choosing to steal a boat with her current boyfriend. Some of these risks paid off; she and Paris formed a life-long friendship through their years together at Chilton and Yale. Some of these risks ended poorly; she got arrested for stealing a yacht and had this arrest on her permanent record for five years (as soon as the five years were up Rory was on the phone figuring out how to get it expunged from her record), which may have negatively impacted her career. Nonetheless, all these risky, unexpected choices made her who she was and she only regretted about a third of them, namely the whole 'affair with Dean' and 'stealing a yacht' events.

As Rory got older the impulsive choices continued. She took a job working on then-Senator Obama's campaign trail with only a couple of days to prepare. After that job ended due to budget cuts, she moved to New York City on a whim in hopes that she would find a job there. There she chased down every possible job opportunity she could find, traveling to God-knows-where for a lead, risks be damned. She chased after politicians, celebrities, in fact she ended up doing her piece on Naomi Shropshire after cornering her in a bathroom and proposing the article to her. That risk paid off in more ways than one; the article ended up being a hit, and it led her to London which was where she and Logan reconnected.

Then her grandfather died.

His death left the Gilmore women reevaluating their life choice. She knew Lorelai started questioning aspects of her relationship with Luke, and Rory later learned that her grandma was rebelling against her old life (what Rory would pay to have heard her mother call the DAR out on their bullshit using the term 'bullshit'). Rory herself was questioning less of her personal life and more of her career choices, or at least that's what she thought. Suddenly she didn't want to be chasing down leads that didn't interest her, instead she wanted something unique and meaningful. Funny how death causes you to suddenly care about meaning. Naomi was unique and Rory latched on to her, putting all her effort and energy into her _New Yorker_ article.

Then she ran into Logan.

Beautiful, wonderful Logan who she loved dearly. He was impulsive and exciting and unique and _meaningful_. He was exactly what she needed She didn't mean to fall into old habits with him, she didn't mean to sleep with him, but she did and afterwards all she could think was "I don't want this to end". So Vegas was impulsively proposed. It was cheap and she failed at staying emotionally unaffected by it, but it was so _easy_ to slip into old rhythms and so _hard_ to leave.

Then Odette moved in. Then she ended it. Then he showed up to surprise her. Then they slept together. Then she found out she was pregnant.

The rest is history at this point, granted very recent history, but history nonetheless.

Now she was with him, in her car, driving to go get lunch at Luke's and to start planning their lives; his, hers, and the baby. She was done with impulsive, at least for now.

She may not have planned to get impregnated by her engaged ex-boyfriend (she was pretty sure most people didn't), but she was determined to plan the rest of her pregnancy and life out to the best of her ability.

That, of course, meant pro-con lists galore, which was exactly what Rory was planning on setting up as soon as they entered Luke's.

She and Logan had walked to Luke's, engaging in some casual small talk, tip-toeing around his recently ended engagement and his possible unemployment and their baby. It was still new and fresh and so _awkward_.

Rory couldn't help but leap for joy when they finally made it to Luke's, quickly ordering Logan to claim a table the second they entered as she made her way to the counter to get some coffee (decaf for her, sadly).

She leaned against the counter as Luke made his way towards her. She couldn't help but notice his usual grumpiness had dissipated a little since he and Lorelai made it official. Rory was happy for them. Her mother had been through so much and deserved someone who would help make her happy.

Luke caught her eye and made his way towards her with a frown. "I don't care what you say, I'm not giving you coffee."

"What about decaf?"

He sighs. "Fine, but you have a problem."

She shrugs. "Blame my mom."

He rolls his eyes, but Rory spots the small smile he's trying hard to hide. She grins.

As Luke gets her coffee, Rory looks down at the papers in her hands. The collection of notebook paper she holds is currently blank, but after a few minutes with Logan brainstorming and talking she's sure they'll be filled to the brim.

"Here you go," She looks up to see Luke handing her a cup.

She grins and takes it. "Thanks Luke."

He nods and she starts to head to the table Logan claimed when she hears Luke say her name. "Yeah?"

"What are you guys doing?" he asks, looking specifically at the papers she's holding.

"Planning. Gotta have paper for pro-con lists." She explains.

Luke arches a brow. "Here? Are you crazy?"

Rory frowns. That was not the reaction she was expecting. "What, why?"

He gives his this 'are you kidding me' look. "Why do you think? Kirk, Patty, if anyone gets a glimpse at your lists it won't take them long to connect the dots. Everyone will know by this afternoon."

"Shit!" Rory swears. "I can't believe I didn't think of that! I'm an idiot!"

Luke looks at her sympathetically and sighs. "If you guys want to you can use my apartment upstairs. There isn't much there, but I'm pretty sure there's a table for you to write on."

Rory shifts. On one hand it's the best option she has; she can get Luke's food and have privacy to work with Logan. However, on the other hand, his apartment has certain memories, specifically ones that involve Jess. Then again she and Jess dated almost 15 years ago, and she really didn't want to walk back to the Dragonfly Inn without having food in her.

She nodded, "That would be great, thanks."

Luke smiled, "Anytime. It's unlocked so feel free to head up."

She grinned and headed to the table to get Logan. He looked up from his copy of the Stars Hollow Gazette he snagged during their walk over and tilted his head to the side. "What's up, Ace?"

She gestured to behind the discrete doorway behind Luke's counter. "Luke's letting us use his old apartment upstairs to…work."

"Why?"

Rory sighed. "Let's just say the expression 'mind your own business' doesn't apply to Miss Patty or Kirk, and I'd rather not have the entire town know now."

"But won't us going upstairs be suspicious?"

She nodded. "Yeah but it's a less specific suspicion. They'll know we're up to something, but not what we're up to specifically."

Logan nodded and gathered his belongings up before following Rory behind the counter and up the stairs. She could feel everyone's eyes on them and she knew within minutes people would be talking and asking "hey why did that guy go upstairs with Rory? Who is he anyway?". Lorelai would probably get a few phone calls about it, and Luke would use his usual grumpiness to keep them from trying to pry anything from him (as if they could), all while Rory and Logan hid away from the world.

Home sweet home.

/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

"I talked to my father."

After setting up their stuff and sending Luke their order, Rory had insisted on getting straight to the point. Logan obliged, though Rory detected a hint of nervousness within him.

"About?"

He sighed. "I told him that Odette and I broke up, and that I was moving back to the States."

"What did he say?" Rory quietly asked, dreading his answer. The last thing she wanted was for him to give everything up at a moment's notice to be with her, to be with _them_.

Logan shrugged and leaned back. "He told me I knew what to do and sent me to my office to pack."

It was silent between them for a few minutes, and not the comfortable, loving kind of silence but instead the awkward, guilt-ridden kind that jabs at one's stomach.

"Logan…" Rory started, reaching for his hand.

"Rory, that's not all he said."

She was taken aback. "What?"

Logan sighed. "He called me back to his office about 20 minutes later. I figured he was going to yell at me or throw a stapler at my face but he didn't. Instead," he took a deep breath. "He gave me some business cards for a company out in Boston. He told me that he gave them a call and they're willing to hire me; no application, no interview, nothing but a call from my father."

Rory's mouth was gaped open, shocked by Mitchum's actions. "But…why…what?" she stammered out. "I don't get it."

"I have to admit, I didn't get it either at first but…" he trailed off, look down at his hands clasped together in his lap, unable to look her in the eye.

"But what, Logan?" she nudged him, desperate to know what he meant.

"I think he knows." Logan's voice barely rose above a whisper as he spoke. "I think somehow my father knows about…" he gestured to her stomach without saying a word.

Rory jumped up off the couch and began to pace. "No, he can't…but why…. Logan, I….how? How would he know?" She asked him exasperated.

He didn't move from where he was sitting, obviously nervous about her reaction to the news. "I don't know for sure, but I think he's been suspecting something for a while."

"How would he even know? We were careful." As soon as the words left her mouth she remembered.

"Remember when we saw him at lunch?"

Rory nodded and buried her face in her hands. Logan started to get up to comfort her, but suddenly she looked up and scowled at him. "That's your fault. You chose the restaurant, the one your family owns and eats at often. Why would you choose that restaurant, Logan?"

He took a step back, a guilty look plastered on his face. "I wanted him to see us. I wanted him to see that I hadn't completely given in to his 'dynastic plan'. It was stupid and immature, and I shouldn't have done it." He let out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. "It backfired anyway. It led to Odette moving in."

Rory's eyes widened and she crossed her arms. "What?"

Logan shrugged. "I didn't want her to move in and she didn't want to either, but my father got our families to pull some strings and guilt us into moving in together. It was stupid, it was dumb. Everything was dumb."

Rory was quiet. It was dumb. Their affair, the cheating, it was all dumb. It could've all been resolved if they were smarted and actually talked to one another like they used to do. She wanted to reach out and hug him, tell him it wasn't his fault and they were both idiots, but first she needed to know something. "How does him getting or securing or _whatever_ this job in Boston make you think he knows?"

He shakes his head. "It's because of the stupid world they live in. Rory," he's still and his face is all wrinkled and she knows he's being as serious as he possibly can. "It isn't going to look good, to be honest. Me leaving Odette, you being…" he clears his throat, still unable to actually say the word 'pregnant'. "The DAR ladies will have a party with this information because that's how high society words, however, it looks worse on my family if I'm jobless during this. I'm sure I can get a job anywhere, but it looks better for them if my father secures me a job when this is starting. It makes them look kind, sympathetic."

"And probably makes us look awful."

He didn't say anything, but after a moment he slowly opened his arms. Without even thinking she rushed over to him and let him wrap his arms around her.

"We're made such a mess, huh?"

Logan's quiet but leans forward to lightly kiss the top of her head.

They stand there for a few minutes in comfortable silence, content in each other's arms before she asks the question he's been dreading:

"Are you going to take the job?"

He sighs. "It depends. I want to know what you want first, where you want to live, what you want to do."

"I'm fine with Boston."

"Really, Ace?"

She nods. "I like cities and Boston's not that far away from here."

"It's cold."

"I grew up in New England, Huntzburger. The cold doesn't bother me."

He chuckled and she can feel his chest lightly going up and down against her. She's missed that feeling.

"I'm really fine with Boston, Logan, but do you want the job?"

He doesn't answer right away, instead taking a moment to collect his thoughts. "I do. I hate that it came from my father but, I like the work. I like what I do and if I can keep doing it then I'd like that."

Rory nods. "Okay then. Boston it is."

He looks down at her, love and joy radiating in his eyes, a smile curved upon his lips. "Boston it is."


End file.
